Can’t Wait Wednesday : A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark

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“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine.  Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for.  If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to.  This week my book is : A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark because I loved the Empires of the Dust series.  Here’s the cover and a bit of information:

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A Woman of the Sword is an epic fantasy seen through the eyes of an ordinary woman. Lidae is a daughter, a wife, a mother – and a great warrior born to fight. Her sword is hungry for killing, her right hand is red with blood.

War is very much a woman’s business. But war is not kind to women. And war is not kind to mothers and their sons.

Expected publication : April 2023

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The House of Sacrifice (Empires of Dust #3) by Anna Smith Spark

 

And so comes to an end Anna Smith Spark’s brilliantly brutal Empires of Dust.  And what a very fitting end to the series it is.  This series is not for the faint of heart, it’s downright grim, it’s unapologetically bloody and it’s written in the most unique, almost poetic, prose I’ve ever come across.

I think this is possibly one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write.  A combination of not wanting to give anything away coupled with arguing with myself about my own feelings.  To be clear, this is a great ending to this series, it’s perhaps not my favourite book of the series (that still remains The Tower of Living and Dying) but it’s so true to itself that it’s positively perfect.  There’s a loss of hope here, a weary sort of recognition that nothing will ever be enough and a perfect telling of one man’s descent into madness.

So, what can I tell you about this book.  It went in directions that I didn’t expect at all.  It contains the same starkly beautiful prose as the first two instalments and it has definitely left me gagging to find out what this author will come up with next.  Will this book be for everyone?  Definitely not.  This is a story that almost sucks the life and soul out of you when reading, the despair, the madness, the fear, the hysteria.  It’s just so bloody dark, it’s like a black hole – no light, no reflection just all consuming.  Lets just be frank, the laughs are few and far between and any sense of hope almost non-existent, I think the only hope that you really hanker after is retribution and whilst there’s an element of that there’s also the realisation that the same thing happening over and over again is kind of inevitable – the only difference being the ruthless conqueror.  History has shown us this very thing and this series is a perfect embodiment of that blood thirsty ambition to dominate that has repeated itself throughout the ages.  I can’t deny that it took me a while to read this one, which isn’t a reflection on how good the book is but more that things are definitely bleak and sometimes I had to escape to something a bit more fluffy and fun loving with unicorns and rainbows.

Marith and Thalia.  Wow, what a journey they take us on.   The two of them together though.  You’d hope that somehow they’d become more human, more sympathetic, more anything really.  But no.  They’re both a bit (aka a lot) monstrous, Marith more so than Thalia although she doesn’t exactly break a sweat out trying to curb him.  They both have their own crosses to bear and sadness to deal with, they’ve both come so far together that in some respects they don’t like each other at all and yet in others they can’t bear to be apart.  They’re a riddle indeed.  I can’t help thinking about Alexander the Great when reading about Marith.  The ambition, the charisma and the ruthless desire to conquer.  Marith thinks himself godlike in fact that’s probably the only thing left that he could strive for after conquering all else and his belief of his own invincibility is his only weakness.

I recall in a previous review describing this author’s style as hypnotic and that still stands.  I’ve also mentioned that her style has a poetic feel – and yet I don’t really read poetry so there’s a conundrum right there.  The best way to describe this, for me, is that the prose is wonderfully descriptive whilst being distinctly brief.  It’s the very opposite of, say, Tolkien or Dickens (both authors that I like btw).  And, to be honest, f you can use simply 5 words to describe a field, a tower, a battle and yet still conjure a vivid picture then why not – although I will say that I imagine this takes a hell of a lot more skill than you would imagine and this is an author who makes it look deceptively easy.

Overall, this has been a remarkable series.  I have so much respect for this author not only for her vision and writing chops but also for having the guts to take this series to the bitter end and give it the fitting conclusion it deserves without shirking or trying to wrap everything up too nicely.

As mentioned above, be aware that this series definitely falls into the grimdark category, it isn’t a YA read and there are elements to these stories that would not be everyone’s cup of tea so take heed.  I’m not going to tell you to read or to not read this – you know your own selves better than I do so hopefully you’ll make the right choice for you.  I would just say that this is a fine series, groundbreaking in style of writing, fascinating in it’s reflection of history and on point in terms of today’s modern fantasy reader.

I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

 

 

 

#wyrdandwonder: Can’t Wait Wednesday: The House of Sacrifice (Empires of Dust #3) by Anna Smith Spark

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Wyrd and Wonder – a month long event that is a celebration of fantasy.  Check out the details here and join in the fun in whatever way you would like to do so.

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking Can't waitthe Spine.  Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for.  If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to.  This week the book I can’t wait for is: The House of Sacrifice (Empires of Dust #3) by Anna Smith Spark.

This series is fantastic, I’m loving Anna Smith Spark’s style of writing, it’s really quite something.  Anyway, The House of Sacrifice is, I think, due for publication either end of July or beginning of August and here are the covers and details:

Marith’s power is growing. His empire stretches across half the world, and allies are flocking to his banner to share the spoils of war. With Thalia ruling at his side they are unstoppable.

But Marith is become increasingly mentally unstable and their victories cannot continue forever.

Here are my reviews for The Court of Broken Knives and The Tower of Living and Dying.

 

The Tower of Living and Dying (Empires of Dust #2) by Anna Smith Spark

Thetower2Having just finished The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark I can say with absolute confidence that not only was this a fantastic sequel to an impressive debut but it’s a definite contender for one of my best reads of the year so far.  While the Court of Broken Knives delivered an unexpected novel in terms of the author’s own unique brand of writing, the Tower of Living and Dying cemented for me the love for that particular style.  If the final episode delivers a worthy conclusion to the Empires of Dust then I truly believe this series could become a modern classic.  Seriously, if you love to read fantasy, and in particular grimdark fantasy, then you really need to read these books – I insist.  Please, even.

Before I go further, first things first.  You will need to read book one in the series.  My review is here.  Also, it is possible, although I do try to avoid them, that some spoilers may be lurking here for the first book.  You’ve been warned.

So, I’m literally sat, staring into the abyss (aka computer screen), just trying to figure out what to tell you.  I do find that sometimes the books I love are the most difficult to review.

Okay.  The writing first and foremost. It’s different than anything I’ve experienced before and I admit that in the first book, for the first few chapters, I found it a little difficult to get along with.  Probably because it’s so unlike anything that I’ve read before.  There’s a simplicity here, a curtailing of long sentences combined with an alchemy of words that makes this a beautifully told story.  The imagery is just startling and sometimes breathtaking.  I wish that I’d slowed my own reading pace and thought to make more notes so that I could share some quotes but as with all my favourite books I was gripped in a reading fervour and all rational or sensible thoughts were dashed on the altar of good intentions.  There’s something about the writing that feels almost like a stream of consciousness or almost like a person babbling excitedly and there’s something infectious about it that simply draws you in, it’s just packed with emotion.  And, it’s like a gingerbread house, it will tempt you in with the promise of sweets and cake and once you’ve entered inside the trap is sprung and the honeyed words will belie the bloodshed and war that you find yourself reading about.

The characters.  Well, the four main characters from the first book are all still present.  They’re a little bit more weary which isn’t a surprise given the amount of death and destruction they’ve seen but they all have a purpose.  What I loved about these characters this time is they’re all so conflicted.  Marith is in serious danger of losing himself completely.  His relationship with Thalia is the only thing that keeps his inner demons from completely dominating.  He kills and destroys wantonly but then frets enough to seek the bottom of a bottle or worse.  Thalia, well she feels like a ray of light, a little spot of hope and yet at the same time she is also twisted with doubt and not a little bit of guilt.  She knows Marith and sees what he is capable of, she feels like he must be stopped, but at the same time he’s shown her a different life to the one she expected.  The other two characters are no less riddled by doubts and uncertainties.

In terms of the world building.  We certainly see a lot more of the world in this instalment. A lot of it is of course in the throes of destruction as Marith marches relentlessly forward with his army but nonetheless this area of the story felt much stronger.  This is a ruthless and unforgiving world in which to live but if Marith succeeds in dominating it the consequences don’t bear thinking about.  God like creatures roam the land and soaring dragons rule the skies.  A world of magic and myth.

I’m not really going to discuss the plot because I don’t want to give anything away.  I will say that these four storylines all develop into tantalising threads – all highly readable in their own rights and all bursting with the expectation of so much more yet to come.

But, a word of caution, make no mistake about it this book is grim and bloody and if that doesn’t work for you then no amount of poetic prose will glamour what’s really taking place here.  For me Anna Smith Spark has truly earned her ‘queen of grimdark’ title.  She’s unflinchingly brutal, has a unique style of writing that is cunningly succinct and disturbingly on point and she’s definitely one to keep an eye on.  I’d like to say that here is an author writing at the top of her game and yet as this is only her second novel that feels a bit premature because surely she has much more promise yet to deliver and I can’t wait to read more.

Write. Write. Write, I beg you.

I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalle, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

 

Waiting on Wednesday : The Tower of Living and Dying (Empires of Dust #2) by Anna Smith Spark

Can't Wait Wednesday

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine.  Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for.  If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to.  This week my book is: The Tower of Living and Dying (Empires of Dust #2) by Anna Smith Spark

A powerhouse story of bloodshed, ambition, and fate, The Tower of Living and Dying is a continuation of Anna Smith Spark’s brilliant Empires of Dust trilogy, which began with The Court of Broken Knives.

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this “gritty and glorious!” (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost.

Due for publication July/August 2018

 

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